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A deafening explosion rang out, mixed with a shrill, pained screech. In that split second, Sam swapped places with the air right in front of the humanoid mantis's chest.
Without hesitation, he activated the Ope Ope no Mi again. A surgical blade materialized, and he pressed his hand against the creature's chest, aiming straight for its heart.
Normally, he could extract a person's or animal's heart from a distance. But this mantis was on another level. If he didn't get close, the technique simply wouldn't work.
"???"
Sam stared at the lump in his hand, utterly baffled.
What the hell is this thing?
(σ-`д?)
Whatever he'd pulled out—it definitely wasn't a heart. It was just… a chunk of something. Something he couldn't even identify.
"…Don't tell me its heart isn't there?"
"Analysis: Attacks targeting the opponent's internal organs are producing suboptimal damage."
At first, Sam didn't understand why. But then he noticed something.
The scythe-arm he'd chopped off earlier? It had already grown back.
Sam froze. "Damn it. I forgot about that!"
Right—this mantis had absurd regeneration.
So all that effort? Completely pointless.
"Boom—!"
The mantis vanished and reappeared beside him in an instant. A scythe slashed down.
"Are you kidding me? That combo felt way too familiar. R into Q? And you're still saying you're not Kha'Zix?!"
He complained even as he raised his twin ice blades to block—but the mantis's scythe still carved across his chest.
Sam staggered back, hissing. "Since when did its blades get that sharp?"
"Analysis: The opponent has infused its scythes with Void energy, significantly increasing their attack power."
It can do that too?!
Sam twitched at the corner of his mouth. This thing's ability to learn and evolve was terrifying.
But in the brief exchange, the wound on his chest had already closed.
Aside from a tear in his shirt, there wasn't a single mark left.
"Ah Wei's Eighteen Forms—Continuous Burst!!!"
One Tailed Beast Bomb after another flew from his hands, raining down on the mantis in an endless barrage. Explosions chained together, leaving it no room to dodge.
Kurama: "…"
Those are Tailed Beast Bombs. Could you not give them such a shameful name?
Kurama hadn't known what "continuous burst" meant at first. But out of curiosity—thanks to Feng Baobao's bizarre naming conventions—it had asked Wu Liuqi, the self-proclaimed veteran driver.
Under Wu Liuqi's… enthusiastic guidance, Kurama learned things it really shouldn't have. Its entire worldview as a fox had nearly collapsed.
"Whoa—!"
Wu Liuqi's eyes went wide as he watched Sam go off. "So Baobao's Ah Wei Eighteen Forms are actually this badass?"
"Should I learn it too when we get back?"
Liu Erlong had no idea about the hidden meaning behind the move's name. She just knew it looked ridiculously powerful.
Unfortunately, as flashy as Sam's "continuous burst" was, it didn't do much to the mantis.
Well… not nothing.
Half its body was blasted into a bloody mess.
But the moment Sam stopped—less than two seconds later—the wounds had completely healed.
Kurama: "…How are we even supposed to fight this?"
The fox was dumbfounded.
Still, Kurama could sense something: the mantis had grown weaker.
Was it because there was no more Void energy for it to absorb?
"These guys are way too tanky!" Sam grumbled. "Wasn't the whole point of mantises to go full damage? Since when do we have tank mantises?!"
He clicked his tongue. "If this keeps up, who knows how long this fight's gonna drag on!"
Wisdom King: "…"
"Recommendation: Engage with the Sword of Hell."
Sam blinked. "Sword of Hell?"
"Yes. Analysis indicates the Sword of Hell contains the power of death. It directly counters opponents with high regeneration."
"Under the erosion of death energy, its regeneration can be almost completely suppressed."
"!!!"
Sam stared in disbelief. "You had a solution like that and didn't say anything earlier?!"
"Response: You didn't ask."
"…I give up."
After roasting his own cheat ability for a second, Sam quietly drew the Sword of Hell.
The moment the mantis saw it, it reacted. Its body tensed. It grew visibly restless.
"Scan."
Sam appeared in front of it soundlessly and swung.
The Sword of Hell was forged from the power of the underworld itself—overwhelmingly strong and utterly indestructible.
The blade met the mantis's scythe.
In a single exchange, a deep notch was carved into the scythe's edge.
"It works!"
Sam deliberately kept his eyes on the damaged section.
It wasn't healing.
If this were a game, wouldn't that basically be true damage?
And with grievous wounds on top of it.
True damage plus anti-heal.
Now tell me you're not scared.
"So the Sword of Hell is this broken? I seriously underestimated it before."
Wisdom King added calmly, "Beyond close combat, the Sword of Hell can also function as a staff."
"A staff?"
Sam's mouth twitched.
What kind of lunatic uses a sword as a melee weapon—and then turns around and uses it as a magic staff?
He'd never seen a mage who could smack people with a sword up close and then casually cast spells with it in the next second.
"....."